The Mountain is Moving

The cultural pull of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc

The Polettis have worked hard to foster a special connection between the runners and the mountains, as well as the 15 communities along the course. While they aren't hampered by restrictive land agency permits that limit most U.S. races, they've made sure respect for the environment and other competitors was written into the doctrine of the race and have also worked with local villages to ensure maximum participation and a display of local culture. For example, the course intentionally snakes through the old buildings and cobblestone streets of several towns; runners encounter French school children singing supportive songs in St. Gervais and men playing alphorns in the Swiss resort village of Champex-Lac. Crepes, espresso and other local items are available at some of the aid stations.

The result has been a self-perpetuating, multilingual phenomenon much like the Tour de France, in which throngs of people support the race around the clock, either volunteering at checkpoints and aid stations or simply waving flags, blowing horns, ringing cow bells and celebrating along the course.

"What makes the race so special is how the thousands of years of unique mountain culture comes to life in each of the villages around Mont Blanc," says Montrail/Mountain Hardwear president Topher Gaylord, who helped get the first race off the ground and has since finished among the top 25 five times, including second in the inaugural race. "The energy you feel as you pass through each town is really electrifying. It's unrivaled by any other event in the world."

Last year, a torrential downpour forced the postponement and ultimately the cancellation of the UTMB. A truncated 55-mile race from Courmayeur, Italy, to Chamonix was held the following day, but not all runners were alerted when and where the race was restarting and there weren't enough buses to get all of the athletes to the Italian town on such short notice.

This year, even though it's pouring at 3,400 feet in Chamonix when the race begins, race officials have been in constant contact with local weather experts and a plan is hatched to push the start back five hours to 11:30 p.m. so that the worst of the weather will have passed through the area before runners reach the 8,000-foot Col du Bonhomme on the westernmost portion of the course.

"The mountain can bring out all four seasons in one race," Jornet says. "Sometimes it's very hot. Sometimes it's very cold. Sometimes it rains. Sometimes it snows. That's part of the soul of the mountain."

From the mountain village of Les Contamines, 19 miles into the race, the lead group (pictured above) leaves civilization behind and begins an 8.7-mile, 4,300-foot backcountry climb to the top of Bonhomme Pass. After dumping rain for the first 3 hours of the race, the storm has finally moved to the east, leaving cold but dry conditions, a dusting of new snow and clear skies full of stars.

The Spanish trio of Jornet, Miguel Heras and Iker Karrera sets the pace for the lead group, which also includes Hungary's Nemeth Csaba, Portugal's Carlos Sa, Frenchmen Pascal Giguet and Sebastien Chaigneau and Americans Mike Wolfe and Geoff Roes. A series of steep climbs and descents through the night will take its toll, dropping Sa, Giguet and Roes, thus thinning the group to six by morning.